Saturday, December 23, 2023

Action Figure Review: The Marley Brothers from POP! Movies by Funko

 
   
   Christmas is almost here and I thought I'd do a very special review of The Marley Brothers, Jacob and Robert Marley, from The Muppet Christmas Carol. I love A Christmas Carol. I've been reading almost annually since I was a kid and I try to watch nearly every version of it I can. Of all of them, I think The Muppet Christmas Carol might be my favorite. It's a very faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens' story (it should be, since Charles Dickens himself is in it), Michael Caine is freaking on fire, and it's just a wonderfully delightful and fun movie with great music. Is it my favorite Christmas movie? Probably. It's tied with Jingle All The Way. One of my favorite parts of the fim is the introduction of the Marley Brothers, Jacob and Robert Marley. To incorporate both Statler and Waldorf, the film created a brother for Jacob Marley, Robert. Robert Marley. Bob. Bob Marley. We see what you did there, Muppets! I was incredibly surprised back in October when I stumbled upon the entire series of Funko POP! vinyls based on the film; I didn't know these were even coming out and they were part of a GameStop sale with 40% off of all POP! vinyls. Ready to celebrate Christmas Eve with a visit from these two cantankerous and crotchety sprits? Then let's join Marley and Marley after the break...







The Facts:

Height: 4 inches (with stands)

Articulation: Swivel heads.

Accessories: 2 floating stands.

Non-Scalper Price: $24 dollar

Little Known Fact: The Marley Brothers spend their free time leaving 1-star reviews on Rotten Tomatoes under the username "Whoooooo!"





The Positives:

* Let's start with Robert "Bob" Marley, the half of the Marley Brothers created for the film so that both Statler and Waldorf could be used. Robert Marley is played by Waldorf and is wearing some stuffy, old timey Victorian era clothing. The figure is rendered in shades of bluish grey with a touch of white to give him a suitably ghostly appearance. 

* As POP! vinys, it should be no surprise that the only joints here are swivel heads. Still it gives you the ability to balance them a bit and pose them looking in different directions. They're sculpted to look like they're floating with their knees bent and their feet not quite touching the ground.



* The chains look really nice. Cartoonish and stylized, sure, but they're nicely wrapped around the figure and attached to Robert's wrists with manacles. 






* Waldorf's headsculpt is really good and instantly recognizable. I love his mustache and his sleepy, half open eyes. He's ready to heckle!




* Jacob Marley is played by Statler in The Muppet Christmas Carol and he's also spooky and ethereal looking with some fancy, old timey duds. It's tough to see but there's actually a nice pattern on the vest he wears under his waistcoat. His shoes are a bit fancier, too, perhaps made by a little bind cobbler in Seville. 

* Like his brother, Jacob Marley also has a swivel head and is posed to look like he's floating. These guys are removable from their display stands, but they can't stand on their own so why bother?





* Jacob Marley's sporting long chains, too. Whooooo!!! I find myself singing the "Marley & Marley" song year round, often putting in other peoples' names in the song just for fun. Why not, right?




* Stater has a very pronounced jaw and some serious eyebrows. Uncle Leo has nothing on Statler!


The Negative: 

* Besides being avaricious and greedy, my only negative with these figures is that they tend to lean downwards. If their stands were a bit higher that wouldn't be a problem but they're not, so Marley and Marley (Whoooo!) are kind of always looking down. The stands also fit in a bit loose, so that might be part of the issue. 



* Robert's stand causes him to lean more than Jacob's, but both Marley and Marley (Whoooo!!) lean a good bit. I'm probably going to try some Loctite glue to see if that helps keep them in place better. If not, I might place Marley and Marley (Whoooo!!!) on a clear plastic riser.
   I'm not going to track them down but there is also a glow-in-the-dark set of Marley and Marley (Whooo!!!!!), too. I'm plenty happy with this one and even though they're not perfect (the way they kind of look down does bug me), I'm still really thrilled to have them as part of our Christma decor. We actually bought the full set the night we found them (Charles Dickens w/ Rizzo, Bob Cratchit w/ Tiny Tim, Fozziwig, Emily Cratchit, Ebenezer Scrooge, and the Marley Brothers) during  40% off sale and they look great together. On their own, Marley & Marley (Whoooo!!!!!!) are a Good and a 1/2 set for lovers of this Christmas classic.




These are the first figures of Jacob Marley and Robert Marley I've reviewed as well as the figures figures of Statler and Waldorf. For more POP! Movies reviews check out the following:






















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2 comments:

  1. GIJigsawDecember 23, 2023 at 7:54 PM

    Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my all time faves. These Pops are awesome! Scrooooooooooooooge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17January 9, 2024 at 10:19 AM

      I think we watched it three or four times this season!

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